Read More

The First Minister presented the June 8 General Election as a straight choice for Scottish voters between the Conservatives, who are set to win power at Westminster on the back of their support in England, and the SNP, who would "stand up for Scotland's interests".

Meeting victorious SNP candidates in Glasgow - where Labour lost overall control for the first time since 1980 - Sturgeon told Sky News: "Yes, by their standards, the Tories did well - and I take nothing away from them - but they did well entirely at the expense of the Labour Party.

"As we go into the General Election, the people of Scotland have a clear choice. It is pretty clear that Theresa May, on the strength of support in England, is going to win the General Election, so for people in Scotland, if they want strong voices standing up for Scotland's interests and holding the Tories to account in Westminster, that can only come from the SNP."

Read More

Thursday's council elections delivered the Conservatives' best results in Scotland for generations, with the party putting on 164 seats to achieve a tally of 276. Labour shed 112 councillors to trail in third on 262, losing control of three councils.

But both were far outstripped by the SNP, which added 31 councillors, winning a total of 431.

Sturgeon added: "If you compare north and south of the border, the Tories polled less in Scotland than Jeremy Corbyn did in England, and yet Jeremy Corbyn has been written off as a disaster."